By Police1 Staff
FORT HOOD, Texas — In 2009, Retired Sgt. William Fisher was serving in Iraq with the U.S. Army when he fell 40 feet from an overlook, KCEN reported. He crushed his right ankle and broke his back.
“After four years and six surgeries on my ankle of trying to revive it, fix it, and fuse it together, my life vs. the pain wasn’t worth it,” he told the station. “Amputation was probably the best decision I ever had to make concerning my injury.”
Fisher had his right leg amputated in 2013 and medically retired from the Army. Someone recommended he join law enforcement, so he enrolled in the academy to become a police officer.
Now, he serves as an officer for the Fort Hood Police Department. Fisher said as far as he knows, he is the first and only amputee federal police officer with the Department of Defense.
“It wasn’t until week five that everyone in my class knew I was an amputee. I would take PT tests wearing pants to not show my prosthetic,” he said. “It confused everybody for a little bit because they didn’t realize I was an amputee doing all the obstacles and the same training they were doing.”
Fisher hopes his story will inspire others to persevere in life when the going gets tough.